


M35 Mako

by Vander38



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vander38/pseuds/Vander38
Summary: A couple of stories about the Mako from the first Mass Effect game, the first journey, and the last.Also Shepard should probably not be driving.
Kudos: 5





	M35 Mako

I like the M35 Mako.

Big, ugly, brutal.  
Built tougher than a brick outhouse, more guns than a Krogan battle master and more nimble than an Asari commando.

Truly a beautiful bastard of a thing.

That’s probably not a sentence people say very often.

We file inside the vehicle, myself Tali and Kaidan Alenko, there is silence as we each prepare in our own small way for the battle ahead.

Therum.

A small volcanic backwater with some sort of Prothean remains that have attracted one Liara T’Soni.

Our job being to extract her from the planet.

Unfortunately for us we can’t land the Normandy on the active volcanic surface of the planet, so we need the Mako.

A full load combat airdrop.

Should be fun.

The computers hum as they run their own checks and Kaidan checks the systems.

“Should all be ready for the drop Sir.” He says after a few moments,

“Joker, take us in.” I say into the intercom.

“Got it, heading in for combat drop.” Jokers voice filters through, slightly tinny through the speaker.

I turn the engine on, the vertical eezo core spinning in its armoured containment sphere, shaking the vehicle.

I rev the engine in neutral, flexing my foot in my armoured boot against the pedal.

“Good thing we’re in neutral.” Kaidan deadpans.

The red light blinks on and I can imagine the forces at work as Normandy plunges into the steep dive that will throw us out towards the planet surface.

“One day I will actually learn to drive this thing.” I say casually.

There is a solid click from the rear seat as Tali buckles up pointedly.

“You can’t drive sir?” Kadan asks, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Self taught back on Earth.” I say, gunning the throttle once more, shaking the heavy vehicle.

“You never learned to drive this?” Kaidan asks urgently.

“Got pedals and a wheel, how hard can it be?” I ask flippantly.

“Sir I really recommend we switch.” He is interrupted by the green light and I slam the pedal hard and the six wheeled vehicle leaps forward and out into the volcanic atmosphere.

“Ten and two. Ten and two.” Kaidan shouts at me and I adjust my hands on the wheel.

“Relax it's fine.” I say casually, trimming the jets with my throttle.

“I should have stayed on board.” Tali mutters.

“You're going too fast, sir you're going too fast!” Kaidan yells.

“Backseat driver.” I mutter, staring at the screen as the clouds whip past.  
“Sir, slow down, Shepard slow down.” Kaidan says, voice on the edge of panic.

“I will turn this thing around.” I say to him.

“Turn!” Tali screams and I look to see the clouds are gone and we are hurtling towards a lava flow.

I gun the throttle and twist the wheel all the way, ignoring the electrical squealing as the computer tries to compensate.

We land hard on a solid rock base and skid to a halt.

“Told you it would be fine.” I say dismissively.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Kaidan mutters.

“Do it later.” I say as I gently accelerate along the frankly dismal planetary surface, following the radar towards the last known location of Liara T’Soni.

Several weeks later.

The Mako squeals to a halt, water whipping around the wheels.

“You see that sir?” Kaidan asks from behind the wheel.

“I see it, Alenko.” I say, not quite believing what I am seeing.

A planet bound Mass Relay.

An actual Mass Relay.

And between us and it are several hundred metals and about a dozen Geth heavy Armatures.

“Kaidan, disable the governors, Tali, set the turret to auto and strap in,, Kaidan drive.” I order sharply.

“Kaidan drive.”

“Drive man.”

“Sod this.” I say, stomping hard on Kaidan's foot the vehicle lurches forward.

I slide over so I am pretty much sitting on Kaidan’s lap as I take the wheel, flicking buttons, I disable the safety governor on the engine core, pushing us past the maximum safe speed.

The turret swivels on vi power alone, slamming shells out, never knowing if they hit their target and the computer flashes red as the engine roars, sparks fly from the exhausts as the vehicle is pushed beyond its tested limits and still my foot is flat to the floor.

Two hundred meters.

A loud blast from the Geth rocks the vehicle in its suspension frames.

One hundred and fifty meters.

I slam the computer screen down, concentrating only on the relay.

One hundred meters.

The engine reaches its limits, flames fly from the exhausts as the core begins to break down, the boosters and after burners burn in earnest as they start to fail.

Fifty meters.

Great sparking tendrils of Mass Effect Energy reach from the Relay to the Mako.

Twenty five meters.

The vehicle accelerates faster, faster beyond reckoning as the Relay takes over.

Zero meters.

A moment, faster than any living sense can measure, faster than life and death.

A million kilometers away, crossed in a moment, less than a moment.

The Mako, the latest and most advanced light armoured vehicle designed by the Alliance, becomes a Mass Relay capable ship.

The Citadel burns, red lights flash, alarms howl, and people scream as they die alone.

Hidden in plain sight, seen so often as to be ignored, the Monument to the Relays sparks into life as it receives traffic.

A battered Mako, half burned away flies into the Citadel, lands hard, suspension shears away as the wheels shatter, brake pads boil to nothing and it rolls on impact, flipping side over side, taking out Geth, trees and walls before landing upside down in a fountain.

Inside the armoured cabin three occupants stir to flashing lights and howling alarms, too much for any computer to process at once, the processors fail and as the vehicle dies it falls back to the last, most basic programming any modern armoured vehicle has.

Protect the drivers.

Explosive bolts burst and armoured panels fly away.

Ejector seats fly out, caught by Mass Effect parachutes they slide to an undignified halt a dozen meters from the vehicle.

Kaidan swears as he comes to, Tali mutters something that the translator doesn’t catch and as I cut through the seat harness I realise something that makes me laugh.

“Hey Alenko, you think I have enough hours to get my licence yet?” I call out and he doesn’t respond verbally, but I laugh anyway as I get up.

The Mako may be finished but the job isn’t.

Not yet.


End file.
